Scoring my Summer Bucket List ~ Born and Read in Chicago

Ah, that bittersweet time of year is upon us! The end of summer and beginning of the school year gives me such conflicting emotions, especially as my kids get older - they get more fun as they mature, and it's sad to think about the dwindling number of childhood summers we have together.

On the other hand, they were breaking out into intense bickering sessions way more frequently near the end there, and I am enjoying eating my lunch in silence (sitting down, even!) again...

Anyway! Evaluating the summer bucket list is a fun way to look back and preserve the memories of another summer:
Try one new hiking trail and also do the Big Four hike
Well, we definitely got a new trail under our belt on our trip to Rainier National Park. Alas, we didn't get over to Big Four this year. (Half a point for this?) The trail to Grove of the Patriarchs and Naches Peak were both excellent.

Go bowling
Check! Full marks for bowling and FINALLY ridding ourselves of those cursed prize tickets.

Go to the movies
Check! Just one outing to see the latest Minion movie, but it was fun.

Play mini golf
This is an easy and fun favorite we checked off early in the summer.

Teach the kids the art of making friendship bracelets
Big fat ZERO on this one. Although we have been keeping up with our creative side over the summer with Kelly Kits. (Half a point?) I got a deal for a trial three month subscription and might just subscribe for the year now, they are that awesome. It is a nice low maintenance option for those of us who feel so overwhelmed by the craft store. Each kit has just what I need to do at least two art pieces for two kids, with a really thoughtful and educational handout on the theme for the month.

Hit up a farmers market
Alas, this did not happen - hopefully we can squeeze one in before the season ends...

Annual summer road trip!
Yay! This was a blast and I think I might do a photo dump here soon for posterity. Short version: the Alta Crystal Resort is adorable (and I'm fervently hoping every day that our wildfires do not inflict damage to this lovely spot), the Gondola and Summit House at Crystal are both excellent, and you can never go wrong with a visit to Mount Rainier National Park.

Go blueberry picking and make blueberry dump cake
Check! We went to a new blueberry farm and it was great - we decided on these Smitten Kitchen muffins instead of dump cake.

Make smores
Handily supplied to us at our resort on the aforementioned road trip:

Picnic at a new-to-us park
We didn't picnic, but spent an afternoon exploring the Lewis Creek Visitor Center one afternoon.

Visit Woodland Park Zoo (and hopefully see new baby giraffe!) as well as Point Defiance Zoo
Check and check!

Visit MoPop
Womp, womp. Hopefully soon...

Visit the Bellevue Art Museum
I visited TWICE. The cut paper exhibit is just amazing and we brought the kids to their first Bellevue Arts Fair.

Visit Pike Place and the new waterfront market
Check!

Try a new restaurant
It had been a long time since we had gone out for Italian, and as I mentioned in my monthly meal wrap up, we decided to try the new Carmines in Bellevue and it did not disappoint!

I also took the kids out for my kids first sushi experience and they ventured just as far as I thought they would: cooked crab being the most exotic choice. Baby steps.

Make frosé
I did this almost weekly! Maybe two points? This recipe continues to be a favorite.

Make a new cocktail recipe
I mentioned this in the July monthly meal wrap up - this Gold Rush cocktail is so simple and DELICOUS.

Take a blog break
I still posted almost weekly, but I think I found a good rhythm for going forward and hope to stick with it!

Bonus points for my daughter finally tackling the rock wall at the Y this year!

She came thisclose to ringing the bell at the top. We may have to hit up some open climb times so that she can achieve this summer goal!

Bonus points for mother nature bringing a solar eclipse pretty close to our neck of the woods! It was a morning we'll never forget.